Æthelred the Unready

Aethelred "the Unready" (968-23 April 1016) was the king of England from 978 to 1013, succeeding Edward the Martyr and preceding Sweyn Forkbeard, and from 1014 to 1016, succeeding Sweyn and preceding Edmund Ironside.

Biography
Aethelred the Unready was born in 968 to the House of Wessex, a Christian dynasty of Anglo-Saxons. Aethelred was the son of Edgar of England, and when his father died, he was seen as the heir by some, while others favored his older brother Edward the Martyr, whom Edgar never acknowledged as his heir. The supporters of Edward had him crowned, but in 978 Aethelred's advisers murdered Edward as he dismounted his horse, and Aethelred succeeded him. During his reign, he had to deal with Olav Tryggvasson's raids on his coasts. From 991 onwards, he paid tribute to the Kings of Denmark, but on 13 November 1002 he committed the St. Brice's Day Massacre, massacring Danish settlers. The next year, Sweyn Forkbeard led an invasion, and he was forced to flee to Normandy in 1013. He returned with an army and forced Sweyn out, reigning as king until his death in 1016. His son Edmund Ironside succeeded him.